All Nations are Under God but God Gives all Nations Free Will

In the following verses, God says, that ye shall know that I am God, or that ___ may know that I am the Lord:

4.20-40. “. . . 34 Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by mighty hand, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? 35 Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else beside him. . . .”

2 Ki. 20.28. (\That Israel might know that He is the Lord.)

10.2; 16.12 (to Israel might know that He is the LORD)

1 Ki. 20 “13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying , Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD. 28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.”

49 “23 And kings shall be thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.”

16 “21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know mine hand and my might: and they shall know that my name is The LORD.”

4.25, 32 [To Nebuchadnezzar it was said] “25 and 32b they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” So it happened and so Nebuchadnezzar learned. See the conclusion of Nedbuchadnezzar in verses 34-37—He praises & extols and honors the King of heaven, all . . . . Then to Belshazzar, Nebudchadnezzar’s son, Daniel tells what will happen to him bc of what he has done & bc he knew all this (see 5.22). See Dan. 5.

N2 p. 23 to Gen. 14 “18,. “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.” “‘Most High’ or ‘most high God’ (Heb. E; Elyon). ‘Elyon’ means simply ‘highest.’
“(1) The first revelation of this name (v. 19) indicates its distinctive meanings. Abram, returning from his victory over the confederated kings (Gen. 14.1-17), Is met by Melchizedek, King of Salem . . . the “priest of the most high God” (El Elyon), who blesses Abram in the name of El, Elyon, “possessor of heaven and earth.” This revelation produced a remarkable impression upon the patriarch. Not only did he at once give Melchizedek ‘tithes of all’ the spoil of the battle, but when the King of Sodom offered other of that spoil to Abram, his answer was: ‘ I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD [Jehovah], the most high God (El Elyon], the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet,’ etc. (Gen. 14.18-23).
“(a) The LORD (Jehovah) is known to a Gentile king (Melchizedek) by the name ‘most high God’ (El Elyon); (b) a Gentile is the priest of El Elyon and (c) His distintive character as most high God is ‘possessor of heaven and earth.’
“Appropriately to this Gentile knowledge of God by His name ‘Most High,’ we read that ‘the Most High divided to the nations [i.e., Gentiles] their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam,’ etc. (Deut. 32.8). As ‘possessor of heaven and earth,’ it was the prerogative of the Most High to distribute the earth among the nations according to whatever principle He chose. That principle is declared in Deut. 32.8. To the same purport is the use of the name in Daniel, the book of Gentile prophecy (Dan. 3.26; 4.17, 24, 25, 32, 34, 35; 5.18, 21).
“(2) As ‘possessor of heaven and earth,’ the most migh God has and exercises authority in both spheres: (a) the heavenly authority of El Elyon (e.g., Deut. 4.35, 37 [“35 Unto thee it is shewed, that thou mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is note else beside him. 37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power oout of Egypt;]; Isa. 14.13, 14 [“13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north” 14 I will ascend above the heithts of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”]; Mt. 28.18); (b) the earthly authority of El Elyon (e.g., Deut. 32.8 [“When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”]; Psa. 9.2-5 [“”I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High. 3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at they presence. 4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest in the throne judging right. 5 Thou hast rebuked the heathen, thou hast destroyed the wicked, thou hast put out their name for ever and ever.”]; 21.7; 47.2-4; 56.2, 3; 82.6, 8; 83.6, 7, 16-18; 91.9-12; 2 Sam. 22.14, 15; Dan. 5.18). See, for other names of Deity: Gen. 1.1, note; 2.4, note; 2.7; 15.2, note; 17.1, note; 21.33, note; 1 Sam. 1.3, note.”

1 Ki. 8.60. Solomon, in his blessing after dedicating the temple says, “That all the people of the earth may know that the LORD is God, and that there is none else.”

1 Sam. 8. Israel rejects the theocracy. God honors their choice. “22 And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, Go ye every man into his city.”

2 Sam. 23.3-4: From the last words of David: “He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear shining after rain.”

1 Sam. 10.17-27: “19 And ye have this day rejected your God, who himself saved you but of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto him, Nay, but set a king over us. . . .”

1 Sam. 12.6-25. “14 If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God; 15 But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.”

Jehoshaphat understood that God was the supreme ruler. [Judah was being invaded by Moab, a great multitude]: 2 Chron. 20 “3 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD. [Jehoshaphat’s great prayer follows. See v “6And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of he heathen? And in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee? 7 Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend forever? ]. 20 . . . Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper. 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever. 22 And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.”

2 Chron. 24 “24 For the army of the Syrians came with a small company of men, and the LORD delivered a very great host into their hand, because they had forsaken the LORD God of their fathers So they executed judgement against Joash.”

II Chr. 35.20-24: Necho, King of Egypt came up to fight against Charchemish and Josiah went out against him. God had sent Necho, & Necho told Josiah he wasn’t coming against him and that he was told to do what he was doing by God. Nonetheless, Josiah, King of Judah went to fight against Necho and was killed.

Psm. 2 “10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. 11 Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” (See the whole chapter.)

Psm. 9 “17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all nations that forget God. 20 Put them in fear, O LORD: that the nations may know themselves to be but men. Selah.”

Psm. 11 “3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Psm. 33 “12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD;”

Psm. 47 “6 Sing praises to God, sing praises: sing praises unto our King, sing praises. 7 For God is the King of all the earth: sing ye praises with understanding. 8 God reigneth over the heathen: God sitteth upon the throne of his holiness. 9 The princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham: for the shields of the earth belong unto God: he is greatly exalted.”

Psm. 72 “8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9 they that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. 17 His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed. 18 Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who only doeth wondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen and Amen.”

In Psm. 81, God made clear that he would have subdued their enemies and turned his hand against their adversaries had they hearkened to his voice.

In Psm. 83, the enemies of God wish to “4 cut Israel off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” Certain nations plot against them. Asaph asks God to subdue those nations “ 18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”

Psm. 100 “1 Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. 2 Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. 3 Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.”

Psm. 113.4: “The LORD is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.”

Psm. 119 (a Messianic Psalm): [verses 10-12 state that he will destroy the nations.]

Proverbs 16: “12 It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness:

for the throne is established by righteousness.”

Pro. 29.2: “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”

First, he ordained govt.—man’s rule over man under His rules.

Isaiah 19: “19 In that day shall there be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border thereof to the LORD. 20 And it shall be for a sign and for a witness unto the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt: for they shall cry unto the LORD because of the oppressors, and he shall send them a saviour, and a great one, and he shall deliver them. 21 And the LORD shall be known to Egypt, and the Egyptians shall know the LORD in that day, and shall do sacrifice and oblation; yea, they shall vow a vow unto the LORD, and perform it. 22 And the LORD shall smite Egypt: he shall smite and heal it: and they shall return even to the LORD, and he shall be intreated of them, and shall heal them. 23 In that day shall there be a highway out of Egypt to Assyria, and the Assyrian shall come into Egypt, and the Egyptian into Assyria, and the Egyptians shall serve with the Assyrians. 24 In that day shall Israel be the third with Egypt and with Assyria, even a blessing in the midst of the land: 25 Whom the LORD of hosts shall bless, saying, Blessed be Egypt my people, and Assyria the work of my hands, and Israel mine inheritance.”

Isa. 44.28-45.1 & N2 p753: The Lord calls Cyrus his anointed, the only instance in Scripture where the word is applied to a Gentile. Nebuchadnezzar is called the “servant” of Jehovah. Cyrus is thus a Gentile type of Christ.

Jeremiah 10:6-8 Forasmuch as there is none like unto thee, O LORD; thou art great, and thy name is great in might. Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. But they are altogether brutish and foolish: the stock is a doctrine of vanities.

Jere. 18.7-10, 12: “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; if it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them. * * * And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.”

Jere. 27:1-11 “1 In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah came this word unto Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD to me; Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, 3 And send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, and to the king of Zidon, by the hand of the messengers which come to Jerusalem unto Zedekiah king of Judah; 4 And command them to say unto their masters, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Thus shall ye say unto your masters; 5 I have made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by my great power and by my outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. 6 And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him. 7 And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. 8 And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. 9 Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: 10 For they prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should drive you out, and ye should perish. 11 But the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein. [The rest of this chapter continues in this vein].

Hosea 8.2-4: “Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee. 3 Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. 4 They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.”

N1 p1029 to [Mt. 21 “43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”] “Note that Matthew here as in verse 31 uses the larger word, kingdom of God. (Cf. Mt.6.33, note.) The kingdom of heaven (Mt. 3.2, note 1 Cor. 14.24, summary) will yet be set up. Meantime the kingdom of God and His righteousness is taken from Israel nationally and given to the Gentiles (Rom. 9.30-33).

Mt. 14 “34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! 35 Behold, your houses is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Paul understood this. He said, in his sermon on Mars’ hill: Acts 17.23-31 “* * * 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply them might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. * * *.”

[Paul speaking to those at Lystra who would worship them on his 1st missionary journey]: “And saying, Sirs, why do ye these things? We also are men of like passions with you, and preach unto you that ye should turn from these vanities unto the living God, which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein: 16 Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways. 17 Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.” Acts 14.15-17 [Suffer in 1828 Webster’s Dictionary means 1. To feel or bear what is painful, disagreeable or distressing, either to the body or mind; to undergo. 2. To endure; to support; to sustain; not to sink under.” Suffered is defined in same dictionary: “Borne; undergone; permitted; allowed.”

George Washington understood this. He wrote:

“Whereas, it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, humbly to implore his protection and favor. . . .

“. . . that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science, among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

Washington, Proclamation of “First National Thanksgiving, October 3, 1789; quoted by Johnson, George Washington the Christian, pp. 173-74; quoted in Christianity and the Constitution, Eidsmo at p118. (See Eidsmo’s comments following).

A church under God, not under Caesar: A Christian Lawyer explains how a church in America can remain under the Lord Jesus Christ and Him only. "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church" (Ephesians 1.22).